


Alone In the Jungle

by Paidendryl



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not till later chapters though, There will be fluff, and SMUT, but that doesn't come till waaaay later on, not sure what to call it, so bear with me pls, this is au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-10 17:51:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6998488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paidendryl/pseuds/Paidendryl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Going on an exploration with his sister and Great-uncles seemed pretty cool to Dipper Pines, except for the part when he suddenly gets lost in the infamous Floating Jungle. Now, working to get his way back home, Dipper has no idea how complicated this would become. It could take weeks, months, even years before he could find civilization. So, with that in mind, he focuses on survival.</p>
<p>Which might've been a little bit harder if he didn't have a strange boy that seemed older than him following him around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Explore a jungle and you might just get lost

**Author's Note:**

> This...is crap. I'm sorry.

The air was warm and humid. Very humid. A low fog hung down, making it a little hard to see, but not too badly unless you were far away. Tall, thick trees with giant leaves that fanned above them and provided shade surrounded the whole scenery. Vines wrapped around them and hung low. Insects buzzed about and various different animals and birds could be heard making noises. As they trudged on through the green jungle, Dipper could feel his feet starting to ache as he trailed behind his twin sister and Grunkles.

“Now kids, stay close,” Ford’s voice said, breaking the silence between them all, “The Floating jungle is a very dangerous place and we don’t want either of you getting lost here.” Ford was looking down at a maroon journal he held in his hands, lips pursed in thought as he rechecked over everything, “The land here is split apart and some areas are higher than other parts, which is why it’s called the Floating Jungle because when you look at it from a good distance, it really does seem like the land is floating.” Stan huffed and tugged his loose, button up shirt collar back and forth, his right hand held tightly onto a machete and he chopped at any low branches or greenery that blocked their way.

“What the hel- _heck_ are we out here anyways?” Stan asked, feeling grouchy, “And why did we bring the kids?”

“We’re out because we are looking for an ancient artifact that belonged to a long extinct tribe. The kids came with because _you_ were the one who told their parents that it was okay to have them stay with us while we were exploring!”

“Okay, okay, _yeesh_.”

True to Ford’s words, Dipper and Mabel had both been shipped off to stay with the Great Uncles, who were world renowned explorers. They provided various popular museums with precious relics or valuable artifacts. Currently, they were looking for the Golden Pyramid; an ancient slab that was said to be made of the purest of gold and provide the finder with abundance riches. It was said to have belonged to a long dead tribe that died out during a great and mysterious tragedy that made them all disappear without a trace.

Dipper bit his lip nervously as he glanced around, he held on tightly to a black ball point pen in his right hand, along with a small notebook in his left. Notes and random messages were written down as he recorded their travels. His twin, Mabel, was busy ooing and aweing at the sights in front of her. She held a digital camera in one hand and took pictures of the life around them and smiled before turning to look back at her brother.

“Isn’t this cool? Look at all the pictures I got!” She chirped, slowly her walking to be beside her sibling and showing him the pictures that ranged from beautiful and exotic flowers to tall trees and strange insects. Dipper hummed and smiled.

“Yeah, this is awesome,” he agreed, scratching at his arm as best as he could, “But, I could do without the millions of mosquitos biting me,” He grouched, slapping at the small black insect that buzzed around him. Mabel chuckled and nodded, tucking her camera into her own knapsack.

“Yeah, I feel ya bro-bro,” She replied back.

“Kids, don’t lag behind!” Stan said, stopping and looking back at them. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other before breaking into a small sprint to catch up.

“Sorry Grunkle Stan!” They said in unison as they caught up to the old man. Stan gave a smile and shook his head. He turned to look at his brother, watching as his own twin circled around a tree multiple times before talking excitably to himself. He tsked softly.

“So what do you knuckleheads think of this hike? Pretty cool, right?” Stan grinned. Mabel nodded enthusiastically.

“Definitely! I’ve never seen so many trees!” The girl gasped, eyes wide with enjoyment as she placed her hands on her cheeks and squished them, “Or flowers!” Stan chuckled and quirked an eyebrow, the girl sure was a weird one.

“What about you?” Stan asked, looking to Dipper. The fidgety boy blinked and looked up. His brown eyes glanced about once before returning to the man’s.

“It sure is something…but, I feel like we’re being watched. And…and I think the mosquitos are leaving me cryptic messages,” he said, holding out his arm, “Look, see? It says _beware_.”

“It says ‘bewarb’,” Stan corrected pointing down at the spot of red dots that looked oddly like a b. Dipper blushed a little and scratched nervously at his arm, he couldn’t help that these bites itched like crazy! That was the end of the conversation with his Grunkle. It was a little over two weeks since the twins stayed with their Grunkles, but Dipper felt like he had no chance of ever bonding with Stan. Ford he had no problem with, they seemed to be the best of friends. But him and Stan? Dipper just couldn’t help feeling that the man didn’t like him. After all, he wasn’t much like other boys. He preferred keeping his nose in a book instead of going out and getting dirty. He wasn’t as tough as a boy either, something that had people questioning his manliness, including himself. Though Stan was helping him build it up by giving him small boxing tips, but it wasn’t anything that gave Dipper a reassuring comfort that he was appreciated and loved.

The small group continued on their path and Dipper had continued to scratch his bites. Jungle mosquitos seemed to have a much worse bite than city ones. The boy paused, tucking his pen and notebook into the pocket of his puffy, short sleeved blue vest. He brought his knapsack around and opened it. He rifled through his miscellaneous items and pulling out his itch relief cream. He sighed at the cooling effect it held and smiled once he was done. He tucked the white tube back into his sack and readjusted it back to the way it was on his shoulders. When he looked forward, his smile vanished. His heart stopped for a moment and panic flooded his sense.

Where was his family?

For a moment he didn’t do anything, instead he let his eyes search. He squinted and did his best to see, but the way the fog hung around made it hard to see anything besides the trees near him. Then, he ran forward, knowing that they mustn’t have gotten that far in less than a few moments. But the more he ran, the more the trees twisted and became alike. The fog became thicker and he was pulled into a state of sheer fear.

“MABEL!” He yelled, voice cracking a little, “GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!”

His feet hit the ground with a harsh _thud_ and it seemed to be the only sound loud, besides the yelling he was doing. A cold sweat covered him and his eyes were slowly becoming blurry and unfocused.

“STAN!” His echo filled his ears as he strained them to listen for any other voices. No, _no_. He couldn’t have lost them so soon! He tripped over a hidden root and fell to the ground harshly, skidding across it briefly before forcing himself to quickly get back up to his feet. He pushed himself harder, seeing blindly as the fog seemed to be thickening. Then, he came to a halt. He looked about the vast area with wide eyes. The fog has lessened, thankfully, and he was able to fully see where he was. He was at what appeared to be a cliff’s edge. He gulped, one more step and he would’ve fallen off. He looked down over the edge and saw another part of the infinite jungle below. It was like a whole different area, but at the same time, it was the same piece of land. He took a step back shakily, searching with the temporary sight for a moment.

“MABEL!” He called, hands cupping the sides of his mouth, “GRUNKLE STAN!” His echo replied back dully, but there wasn’t anything more than that. He sunk down, feeling his body shake and his lips quivering. He pressed his knees tightly against his chest, whimpering softly as he burrowed his face between them. He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing the tears to slip through freely. He was quietly begging for someone to come back, he wanted his sister to come running out and tell him it was a joke. He wanted Stan and Ford to appear alongside her and comfort him and tell him it was alright.

He wondered if they had noticed yet. If they knew he was gone. Were they happy? Were they searching? Were they worried? Some thoughts seemed pointless and stupid, but to a twelve year old, they were impacting and dark.

He halted his thoughts as he heard a small _cracking_ sound. He picked his head up, was it Mabel? He stood, wiping at his face as he heard yet again another _cracking_ noise. This time, it was followed with the ground moving. Dipper jolted, arms outstretched as he did his best to balance himself. Then it clicked.

The ground was shifting.

He yelped as the ground shook again, this time stronger. He began running, running back from where he came. But he was barely able to get more than two steps in when the ground suddenly tilted back and he slipped. Landing on his stomach, he felt the air being forced out of him. Disoriented still, he barely had the chance to realize he was sliding backwards. He blinked, feeling the rapid movement and scurrying to grab onto something. Another sickening _crack_ filtered the area and this time there was no hope. He was falling. It was as the ground had just given up entirely and he was spiraling downwards. He was yelling loudly, after all, who wouldn’t as they were plunging to their most likely death. Dipper squeezed his eyes shut tightly and gripped onto the ground with a death like hold.

Then, there was impact.

The ground he was on crumpled miserably as it made contact with the lower jungle floor as if it were a cookie being hacked with a hammer. Dust and debris rose up around him and he felt himself tumbling downwards off the land, his body aching and heart beating wildly. He felt rocks and sticks dig into his flesh, possibly piercing it before he crashed painfully into a tree trunk. His vision swayed and his stomach twisted. His body was burning and he was sure that something was either broken or sprained. He could barely make out where he was before his vision went out and he was unconscious.

**-|-**

Pain.

The first thing he registered.

Horrible, relentless pain.

Dipper gave a sharp gasp and cough as he jumped up. Then he groaned in pain as his head banged against something super hard, making the pounding in his school increase. He fell back to the floor, a hand flying up to rub at the sore spot in hopes to dull the hurt. He opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurry as it adjusted to the area around him. He blinked multiple times, letting out a small groan of pain as he felt his body coming back to life.

He closed his eyes tightly for a moment before snapping them open. He hadn’t expected to be met with one deep golden eye. He yelled, jumping up and smacking their heads together once more. He yelped, reaching up to hold onto the sore area once more. The figure above him made no sound, but he too had felt the pain. Though, instead of rubbing at it like he was, the other seemed to be…smiling?

Dipper scooted back, breathing heavily as he tried to gather his senses. He was hallucinating! Or dreaming! This couldn’t be real! The figure looked away from him after a moment and instead moved towards a small bundle on the ground. His knapsack, Dipper realized. It must’ve fallen off of him at some point. He watched as the curious being rifled through his stuff, taking some things out and looking them over. Dipper sat up and frowned as the other began tossing things about.

“H-hey!” he called out, though the stranger paid no heed, “Hey! That’s my stuff!” he said, nearing the other cautiously. He noticed that it was a boy, probably a year older than him. He had wild, untamed blonde hair that curled at the tips and dirty, almost bronze colored skin. Strange markings in bright golden ink littered along his right arm and back. They were swirled on his arm, going around the skin like a coiling snake and temporarily disappearing behind the two inch brass flat bracelet on his forearm and continuing upwards till it finished at the top of his shoulder. The marks on his back seemed more like symbols. One looked like a sideways ‘T’ placed halfway into a backwards ‘C’ and the other letter was an ‘E’ turned on its side and then flipped upside down so that its three points were pointing up. Below them, on the center of his back was a single eye. And though the boy’s back was unclothed, he had a loose, black skirt-like fabric around his waist.

The boy pulled out one of Dipper’s thinking pens. He inspected it as though it were the most amazing thing on earth. He placed his thumb at the end of the pen and pressed against the pen’s button. It made a soft _click_ noise and the ball-point part was revealed. The boy grinned, doing it again befor4e noticing the point disappeared, he frowned, pushing again and smiling as it appeared. Dipper watched with small amusement that quickly turned to annoyance as the boy repeatedly pressed down on the pen.

“ _Okay_ , that’s enough!” he said, approaching the boy. The being hissed and got on all fours immediately when it noticed Dipper moving. His golden eyes were narrowed on him, watching him with a calculation gaze. Dipper held his hands up in surrender, noticing for the first time that the boy’s left eye was hidden by a black makeshift eyepatch, “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said quietly. The strange boy cocked his head slightly and Dipper sighed. Of course, the other probably didn’t even understand him. He groaned and covered his face with his hands, mumbling to himself. The boy with golden eyes watched for a moment before shaking his head and looking away from him. Dipper ran a hand through his dark hair before noticing that the hat he had been wearing earlier was gone. He looked around rapidly, searching for it with a strong desperation. He caught sight of it a few feet away and he made to get it. The boy didn’t seem to notice as Dipper grabbed his hat, dusted it off, and then placed it on his head. He didn’t know why the blue and white trucker hat brought his relief, but it did. The familiar symbol of the blue pine tree brought him a bit of peace and made him feel a little connected to his lost family. After all, Grunkle Stan had given it to him as a gift, saying it suited him better. The thought made him feel sad again and he hardly noticed what the stranger was doing as he sank to the forest floor once more.

As Dipper thought to himself, the strange being returned to his back. He pulled out a slightly heavy object. He cocked his head, eye watching intently as he placed a slender hand along the hard texture of the item. He grasped the thin side of it between his finger and thumb and then proceeded to lift it up. His mouth gaped as he stared at a white material filled with various sketches and words. He stared at one of it that seemed to be of an animal. The detail was very descriptive and the boy decided that he liked it very much. So, he grabbed the edge of the paper he was looking at and tugged. It tore clean off with a shhhk! Dipper’s head snapped up at the sound and he looked up in time to notice that it was his art book the boy was _tearing a page from!!!_ Eyes wide to the size of the moon and anger flaring through him, Dipper ran forward, snatching the book form the boy’s hands and holding it close to him. The being jumped back, fear on his face, but he clung to the torn page tightly.

“Mine,” Dipper said, holding the book even tighter, “This is _mine_. No touchy.” He noticed the page and reached out to grab it back, but the boy jumped another foot backwards, growling quietly. Dipper stared for a moment, it really wasn’t worth it getting the page back from this being who looked like he could kill him instantly right? Wrong. Dipper put the book down carefully and remained motionless for a moment. The boy relaxed slightly and that was when he lunged forward.

“Give me that picture back!” He yelled, falling onto the boy and knocking him back to the ground. The boy let out a small surprised noise at the sudden attack and he began to struggle, holding the paper out of reach and waving it back and forth to keep Dipper from grabbing it. The twelve year old was getting frustrated, he hated people looking at his art work. It was horrible and gross, and for this boy to just take it, it was maddening. “Give it!” He snapped, but the boy spat on his face, right just below his eye on his left cheek. Dipper cried out, falling back and wiping the saliva off. The boy took this momentary distraction to leap up and run to the tree behind him. He tucked the picture between his lips and proceeded to climb the tree effortlessly. When Dipper looked up to try and get his art work back, he found the boy was gone. He glanced up at the tree above him as a few, small leaves fell down in front of him. He blinked, a groan leaving his lips as he gave up and sank to the jungle floor, lying on his back. The boy seemed to be making a strange noise as though he was laughing. Dipper glowered up at him to find that he _was_ laughing. At him.

“Oh shut up, you jerk,” It fruitless to insult the other, the boy clearly didn’t understand Dipper. But, he said it anyways. He tilted his head back and found his art book just a few inches away from him. The twelve year old reached out and pulled it towards him. He opened the book cautiously and flipped to the very back of it. He smiled softly at the taped image of him and his sister with linked arms, smiling brightly at the camera. A deep sense of fear and longing filled his heart and he closed the book, not wanting to bring on another tear moment. He wiped his eyes before moving to get up and head towards his knapsack. The boy had noticed the other’s deep sadness, and he watched with interest. Dipper paid no bother to him as he grabbed his stuff. He sniffled and turned around, seeing that the boy was still holding on to his art work. He sighed, taking off his hat and running another hand through his hair. The boy in the tree caught sight of the hat along with the symbol and his eye widened.

“Keep the paper,” Dipper said as he heaved his backpack over his shoulder. He could always make another wolf picture. For now though, he had to do his best to make his way back to society, maybe then he could properly find Mabel and his Grunkles. The thought brought him little peace as he didn’t even know which direction to go to.

Dipper gave one last glance to the boy and waved a little, “Bye weirdo,” he said, turning around and beginning his long walk. The boy stayed in the tree, staring as the other began walking away. A small smile appeared on his face. He folded the page carefully and tucked it safely in the small bag hooked onto his clothed skirt. He walked along the tree branches, jumping and moving as gracefully as a ballerina. He watched the boy below, who was obviously lost, and smiled again.


	2. An Eventful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite a lot happens here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because so many of you guys enjoyed the first chapter, I decided to post another. Well that and I couldn't stop writing this AU, so now this is going to be a story.

Dipper didn’t have a clue as to how far he was into the jungle or how long he had been walking. His legs were sore, his body ached, and he really, _really_ had to pee. Of course, he would’ve gone the moment he needed to if he hadn’t spotted the jungle boy from earlier-no pun intended-watching him.

“Do you _have_ to keep following me?” He groaned, his bladder ready to explode on him. Honestly, he’d rather have to fight a tiger, or a bear, or even a lion- _oh my-!_ He finally stopped, mother-nature getting the best of him as he practically tore his things off of him. The boy stared down from the trees, eyeing him with a hint of cocky amusement. Dipper paused for a moment, sucking in a deep breath of air before making contact with the other.

“Look, I have to pee,” he said. The boy did nothing but tilt his head to the side. Dipper ran his hands over his face, “Okay…” he huffed under his breath, “ _Me_ ,” He began, gesturing to himself, “ _have to pee_ ,” he did his best to make his movements as closely as he could with each word, but, like he did with jokes, Dipper sucked at charades and the hand signals and body movements ended up looking like some weird rain dance. The boy in the tree grinned at his funny actions and stood up, joining him from where he stood on the tree trunk and hopped on his feet.

“No!” Dipper cried out with exasperation, “No, no, _no_!” He said, pointing a finger at him, to which the other did the same, but without speaking. Dipper’s face twisted into an annoyed scowl and he reconsidered his options. He could keep walking until his bladder just bursted _or_ he could just take his chances and find a small spot to pee. Honestly with each ticking minute the latter was sounding like a better idea. Dropping his hand and slumping his shoulders, he turned on his heel and grabbed his knapsack. He slung it over his shoulders and trudged on. The boy in the tree stopped dancing and noticed the other moving. Grinning, he followed after, but then stopped. He looked around, almost as though he had heard something. Forgetting about Dipper for the moment, he stood and turned around, gazing at the jungle behind them, his eye searching. Meanwhile, Dipper was looking for a secluded spot to pee in. He glanced at the other behind him and noticed he wasn’t paying attention. Seeing this as his one chance, he booked it. He had no idea where he was running or where he was even headed, but if it meant getting a chance to go, then he was going to take it.

He managed to find a decent spot where the trees hung low and their leaves acted like a curtain and there were thick bushes around with strange yellow and black flowers on them. Not wasting any time, Dipper dropped his knapsack and undid his pants zipper. He let out a sigh of relief as he finally did his business before every muscle in his body tensed as the boy he thought he had ditched landed right beside him and watched with a playful, _knowing_ , look in his eye. Dipper’s heart stopped and his eyes widened considerably before he let out the most unearthly, girly, scream of his life.

**-|-**

The strange boy pouted in the trees as he rubbed his sore cheek. For a weak looking boy, Dipper surprisingly had a strong punch. From below, Dipper was still blushing madly, refusing to even look up as the boy in the tree made small whimpers.

“That’s what you get for peeking,” Dipper said indignantly, earning a small growl from the other. After the sudden surprise from the boy,-and the horribly girlish scream-Dipper had thought he would die from embarrassment. He was literally hoping the earth would open up and swallow him whole. But when the one eyed boy wouldn’t stop looking and even dared to move closer once his body had finished emptying itself out, Dipper snapped back to reality and delivered a hard left hook to the boy’s cheek. The rest was history as the boy stumbled back and held his cheek while Dipper quickly zipped himself up and grabbed his sack. From then on, neither looked at each other. And Dipper sure as heck wasn’t going to apologize.

Hours seemed to have passed and Dipper was hungry and tired. He was also very thirsty and longed for a break. He would’ve stopped to rest, but the fear of what might get him if he let his guard down kept him upright. He wiped the sweat off of his face and took off his hat to fan himself. He really wished it wasn’t so humid in this place. From above, the boy himself was getting tired. How long was the other going to keep walking? It was already the middle of the night! Dipper gave a small yawn and the boy noticed. Head perking up, he took a running start and jumped off the tree branch, landing right in front of Dipper. The said boy yelped and took a step back, eyeing the other cautiously. The boy stared at him, then, he pointed upwards. Dipper looked up, searching for something the boy was pointing to. A disgruntled noise came from the other and he reached out to pull Dipper’s head. The young boy tensed at the touch, eyes widening and breath hitching as he was directed to looking at the jungle boy.

“What are you…?” But his voice trailed off as he stared at the boy. The stranger had shut his eyes and slowed his breathing. If Dipper hadn’t known he was awake he would’ve guessed he was, “Sleeping!” He said out loud. The boy jumped back and nodded at Dipper, perhaps he knew what he had meant afterwards?

“It’s time for sleep?” Dipper asked, and again the boy nodded, pointing at the sky before closing his eyes and breathing slowly. Dipper grew giddy, finally they were making some sort of connection! Going past the boy and approaching one of the large trees, Dipper dropped his bag and scooted next to one of the big roots of the tree. He placed his bag where his head was and used it as a pillow. The boy watched, eyebrow quirked before he shook his head and moved beside the other and lightly kicked him. Dipper frowned and looked up at him, “What? I’m going to sleep,” He said. But the boy shook his head and grabbed Dipper’s arm, pulling him up and pointing to the tree trunks. Dipper’s eyes widened and he shook his head, yanking himself away.

“No, oh no,” he said, “I can’t climb up _there_.”

The boy did nothing, but pick up Dipper’s bag and proceed to walk over to the tree. He got into a jumping stance, arms spread out and bent at the elbows, back arched and legs shoulder width apart. With the way he was posed, Dipper had a vague thought the other looked…well, cute. But he destroyed the thought immediately and instead watched as the boy jumped up and took a hold of the nearest branch with ease. He clambered up it and rested the sack up against the bark of the tree before looking down at Dipper. He eyed Dipper expectantly, and the said boy realized what he wanted him to do.

“I can’t do that,” Dipper said, shaking his head. But the boy didn’t budge, instead taking a seat and waiting. He licked his lips, patting the space beside him and nudging his head forward as though saying, ‘ _I’m waiting_.’ Seeing no way out, Dipper swallowed and tried to copy the stance the boy had used before him. Nervousness tingled in his gut and he knew he was going to regret this. He took in a deep breath, mostly to steady his nerves, and then he jumped.

He missed. Miserably.

Dipper hadn’t even reached the branch and his jump was equivalent to that of a baby just learning how to walk. The boy sitting on the branch covered his mouth and Dipper could hear him snorting and giggling at him. He blushed and stalked back over to the tree trunk. He flopped down on his butt and pulled his knees up to his chest. He felt horribly embarrassed and ashamed of himself. Tears blurred his vision and he felt the weight of today’s events catch up to him. Above him, the boy hummed softly, rolling his eye at him. He hopped down the tree and landed softly on the ground. He cleared his throat loud enough for Dipper to hear, but the other made no move to acknowledge it. Sighing, the being moved closer and paused. Strangled and muffled noises were coming from Dipper and he could see his shoulders shaking. Perhaps the boy was cold? Tsking, the boy turned on his heel and went to gather some wood. He returned a moment later, arms filled with wood and he dropped them ungracefully. The noise hadn’t deterred Dipper who was still shaking.

Dipper was unaware of the actions the other was doing. He felt homesick and miserable. His nails were digging into his skin and he wanted so badly to go home and be curled up in his warm bed. He wanted to see Mabel laying down across from him in her own. He wanted Grunkle Stan to be telling them stories about their adventures of sailing around the world. He wanted Grunkle Ford to share anomalies with him and play D, D and more D with him. But most of all, he wanted to be comforted and held in the warm safety of his family’s arms. A low sob escaped his throat and his whole body shook.

Outside, the boy had finished the fire he was making. The warm heat made him feel satisfied of his work. But when he heard that sob, he jumped up and looked around, was there an animal? He heard it again and again before he realized it was coming from…the boy? He moved closer, the painful noises of grief getting louder the more he neared the other. He knelt down beside him, tapping Dipper’s shoulder, but getting no reaction. He tapped him again and this time, Dipper looked up at him. The look made the boy pause. Dipper’s eyes were red and puffy, water leaking out of them and down his lightly dirty and scratched cheeks. His nose seemed to be running as well and the look of pure sadness from the other made the jungle scoot back, unsure of what to do in a situation like this.

When Dipper had felt the tapping, he knew it was the boy. Why wouldn’t it be? He wanted to snap at him and tell him to bug off. He wanted to sulk, he wanted to cry. But when he had lifted his head, the look of genuine concern on the other’s face made him pause. The older boy stared at him, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion and hesitance. Dipper sniffled and wiped his nose with his hand. The boy didn’t react, instead he tried to think of something that would comfort the other. Was it his fault? Had he made the younger cry? The jungle boy moved a tiny bit closer, examining the kid. Perhaps he had injured himself? Dipper gently pushed the other’s hands away and the boy cocked his head to the side slightly.

“I’m not hurt,” Dipper said, wiping his eyes, “I’m…sad.” He looked to the other, “Do you know what that means? Sad?” The jungle boy lifted his hands and trailed his index fingers down the side of his face and he frowned. Dipper nodded, looking away, “Yeah, that’s it.” He rested his chin on his knees, feeling that same hallow feeling in his gut. “I’m sad because I lost my family…” He admitted, “I probably won’t ever see them again…I…I wo-n’t…” His words started coming out brokenly before they turned completely incoherent. His tears returned with a vengeance and this time, he couldn’t stop the wailing sobs that left his lips. The boy looked spooked by the sudden change of emotion and in a desperate move to help calm the other, he took the sobbing boy by his shoulders and brought him to him, crushing their lips together in an effort to silence the noise.

The boy visibly relaxed as the forest became silent once more and that awful wail was gone. He pulled away and saw that the boy was no longer crying, instead he was staring up at him with a look of pure shock. His face was red and his eyes puffier than before, but at least he had gotten him to shut up. Then, he found the world moving around and he realized that he had been pushed back.

“You…you _kissed_ me!”

Strange words broke the silence and the boy glanced up at the blushing boy. He tilted his head as he watched the boy pace around. As far as he was concerned, the kiss was only meant to get him quiet, but it seemed to have made things worse because the boy was now going on about something that was no big deal. The jungle boy rolled his eye and got up from the floor, ignoring the ranting kid and sighing. At least he wasn’t making that awful noise anymore.

“Why would you kiss me?! Who even does that? I’m a boy!” Dipper yelled, his whole face was hot and he was flustered beyond reason. His tears had dried up by now and as he watched the jungle boy get up with disinterest he felt his emotions flare greatly. “I…you…you’re so confusing!” Dipper groaned, wiping at his eyes before he paused. He finally noticed the fire going and his eyebrows shot up. Blue flames met his brown eyes and he found himself entranced with it. He walked over to it, kiss long forgotten as he approached the fire carefully.

“H-how is it _blue_?” He asked. The boy made no reply, he simply sat down next to it and patted the space beside him. Dipper looked at it carefully, the kiss replaying in his head and he bit his lip a little, scrunching his nose up, “You’re not going to kiss me again, are you?” He asked, then he brought his hand up and pressed the tips of his fingers to his lips and made a small kissing sound. The boy seemed to have understood that because he rolled his eye and shook his head. Sighing, Dipper relented and made his way over to the other. He plopped down beside him and they both sat in silence. The fire crackled softly and a few buzzing insects could be heard.

“So…” Dipper said after a few moments, the boy looked to him, “Why did you k-kiss me?” He made the kiss sign again, but this time it was followed by his index fingers running down his cheeks and a frown. The boy put those together and pursed his lips. Then he looked back to Dipper. He pointed at him and trailed his fingers down his cheeks and frowned, then he made the kissing symbol Dipper used and then brought his index fingers to the middle of his lips and then separated them upwards as his lips twitched into a smile. Dipper realized what he had meant by that, “You did it because you wanted me to be happy,” He murmured before giving a small smile, “Thanks.”

The boy only nodded. He hadn’t really wanted to make the other happy, he just couldn’t stand those awful wails. But, that small smile the boy beside gave made him feel proud of what he had done.

“My name’s Dipper.”

The jungle boy looked at him curiously.

“Dipper,” Dipper repeated, pointing to himself, “My name’s Dipper.” The jungle realized that that must’ve been his name. His eye wandered up to the boy’s hat and he shook his head, grabbing the object from Dipper’s head and holding it to him, his finger pointing to the blue Pine tree. Dipper quirked an eyebrow and shook his head, “No that’s a pine tree, my name’s Dipper. _Dip-per_ ,” he annunciated. But the boy nudge the hat to him and again pointed at the Pine Tree. Dipper sighed and shook his head, taking that hat and placing it on his unruly hair. “Alright,” he chuckled, “We’ll work on my name.” He stared back at the fire.

When Dipper had put the hat back on his head, the boy took it as a sign that he agreed to be Pine Tree and took it as a good sign. He sighed and drew small triangles and eyeballs into the dirt floor before he heard the boy speak again.

“What’s your name?”

The boy met Pine Tree’s gaze and understood that he wanted his name. He wondered how he could tell the other without having to speak. He looked down at the dirt and smiled. Dipper watched with fascination as the other began tracing patterns into the ground. Once the boy was done, Dipper looked and blinked.

Spelled into the ground were four symbols he couldn’t quite make out. He frowned, maybe he should just guess?

“Jack, is that your name?”

The boy frowned and shook his head, pointing to the symbols as though saying, ‘ _My name’s right here, dummy_!’ Dipper swallowed and looked at the symbols once more. He noticed that the first symbol was just like the one on his back so he figured they both meant the same letter.

“Quinn?”

This time the boy gave a low growl.

“Well excuse me! But I can’t understand that!” Dipper snapped. The boy let out a frustrated noise and huffed, he pointed to the first symbol and Dipper rolled his eyes, “I told you, I can’t read that. Can’t you tell me?” He asked, “I mean, you can speak, right?” The boy looked off to the side and clicked his tongue. It was clear that Pine tree wanted him to speak, but quite frankly, he wouldn’t do that. He loved making things difficult. And watching the other grow frustrated while he pretended to be was pretty hilarious.

“You remind me of this kid I knew back in elementary,” Dipper said, “His name was William. But he was a mute and couldn’t speak.” The boy tuned out a bit, he didn’t really care much about some other kid Pine tree was speaking of, “Most people called him Will though.” At that the boy snapped his head up and he nodded, that other name sounded so similar to his. Dipper straightened up at the sudden reaction, “Is that your name? Will?” he asked, the boy shook his head, no, it wasn’t his, but it was close.

“So not Will…but similar I’m guessing, right?” Dipper said, tapping his chin thoughtfully, “Cill? Gill? Dill?” All these the boy said no to, and then, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Bill?”

The boy jumped up and nodded excitedly, ‘ _Finally dummy_!’ he seemed to say as he sat down beside Dipper again.

“Bill,” Dipper repeated, smiling as he felt exhaustion creep into him, “Nice to meet you,” he yawned, his eyes were began to feel drowsy and before he knew it, he was unconscious. Bill shook his head at the kid, he sure was something else. He noticed the other had already fallen asleep and he sighed. He picked up Pine tree and carefully placed him over his shoulder. Luckily Dipper was a heavy sleeper so he didn’t take notice of the movement. Bill then snuffed out the fire and then walked over to the tree. He jumped up with ease and grabbed the branch. He easily placed Dipper on the tree branch and sighed. Good thing this kid wasn’t so heavy otherwise he may have had a problem.

He leaned Dipper back against the tree carefully before he spread out in front of the boy, legs hanging off the branch as he folded his arms against the branch and rested his cheek on it. He let out a contented sigh and closed his eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, Dipper's gonna be in for a ride of his life when he wakes up!
> 
> Also, I couldn't stop laughing as I wrote that whole 'Dipper needs to go' bit, hopefully you shared in my humor and laughed along with me.
> 
> And no, that wasn't a kiss of romance xD Bill just wanted to get Dipper to stop crying because it annoyed him.
> 
> Please leave a comment or critique! (If ya want!!)


	3. One Tree and Two Baskets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper gets a pleasant surprise ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please pardon any grammar mistakes as this wasn't proof-read clearly and I have no beta.

Nightmares weren’t a common thing for Dipper Pines, he got them sparingly like most kids did whenever something was troubling them or they ate something bad before bed. But when he did have them, they weren’t usually real life like. Maybe jump-scare scary, but never really… _intense_.

When he woke in his dream, he was in the jungle with his family in front of him. At first, he had been elated to see them. It all felt so real that he thought they were really there and that he was finally back where he belonged. But when he tried to move closer to them, they seemed to walk farther away. He began calling their names, hoping to gain their attention as he followed after them, hoping to keep up and not lose them again. The fog around them began growing thicker at an alarming rate and the sight of his sister and Grunkles gradually started fading out. He cried out, picking up his pace and breaking out into a full on sprint. He extended his arm out, trying to brush it against Mabel’s shoulder, to get her to see they were leaving without him. But right before his fingertips could graze her, the ground split and Dipper found himself falling. Falling into a black, gaping hole where he would slowly meet his demise at the ground below. Screaming, he jolted upright and woke up just before impact.

All the aches he had felt from his fall off that cliff came back and haunted him; crawling over his skin like snakes and making his chest tighten.

His breathing was hard and panting and a cold sweat glistened his body. He swallowed, a hand placed over his heart in a weak attempt to steady it. He felt tears prickle at his eyes and he blinked them away. He sighed, his body still feeling exhausted from yesterday. Dipper went to lean back once more and go to sleep, but this time, he turned on his side. Not really paying attention to anything, he turned over, only for his foot to slip.

Now, what Dipper had expected when his foot did that was, well nothing. What he _hadn’t_ expected or even counted on, was for his whole body to follow his foot. He cried out, hands immediately grabbing onto whatever he was and his legs dangling off. He looked over his shoulder to see the ground below him and that he was nowhere near it.

“I’M IN A TREE?!”

He was breathing heavily and trying his hardest to make it back on the branch. He looked around, Bill was nowhere in sight.

“Of course, _of course_!” He growled, swinging his leg onto the branch as best as he could, “He pops up out of nowhere when I’m doing my business, but when I’m about to plummet to my death, he’s _gone_!” He let out a half yell, half growl when his footing slipped and his legs were once more dangling. He huffed, trying to keep himself from panicking as he tried to get his leg back on the branch, “This is how I’m going to die. Plummeting to my death off of a tree,” He griped, voice edgy with fear as he chanced a glance at the ground below. He whimpered, letting out a strangled groan as he tried to lift himself up with his upper body strength. But it was proven effortless. His body was too tired and weak to have the strength he needed. When his leg dropped once more, his arms gave up and his grip on the tree loosened. His eyes widened as he tried to get his grip adjusted, but it was too late. He was already slipping. “No, no, _no_!”

He let out a yell as he began to fall down and he closed his eyes, expecting the ground to come crushing him at any moment and ending it all. But that moment never came and instead of falling onto a hard surface, he fell into something warm and firm.

He cracked one eye open to see that two arms were holding him bridal style. He tilted his head up, both eyes now open and coming in contact with the familiar golden eye. He stared for a moment, his mouth slightly open as he couldn’t believe who had just saved him. He also noticed for the first time that Bill’s eye seemed to have bits of blue speckled in with the gold in it. They stared for a brief moment, neither saying a word. Dipper struggled to find something to say, to break the silencing building around them both, but his words of thanks died in his throat before he could even voice them. He cleared his throat, lips starting to twist up into a smile and he opened his mouth to speak full on ready to thank Bill for-

His back suddenly met the ground and he stared at Bill, startled. Then it clicked.

He was dropped.

Bill seemed to have grown bored with holding him and Dipper fell ungracefully to the ground, letting out an “ _Oof_!” as his butt connected with the jungle floor followed by his back, new body pains starting to take root. Bill gave a small snort, placing his hands on his hips as he looked at Dipper with his one eye and saying, ‘ _That’s what ya get for trusting me!_ ’ Dipper growled under his breath as he rolled over on hands and knees and stood up, his whole body aching from both old and new sores.

“Yeesh, talk about being a hero…” Dipper muttered out, before he caught sight of what Bill was grabbing in his hands. Baskets. Or at least that’s what it looked like to Dipper. Bill held two dark brown colored objects in his hands. They seemed to woven baskets from a material he had never seen before. He asks, “What are those?” Pointing to the objects as he gave a questioning look. Bill flashed a crooked, but proud grin, and bent down where he had once stood beside Dipper. He opened one of the baskets and Dipper’s eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.

In the first basket was a variety of fruits, some he knew and others he had never seen before. He picked up one of them, a small purplish red fruit he had never seen before. It looked like a grape, but only thick skinned. He brought it to his nose and sniffed it. It smelt a little sweet and the scent made his stomach growl. Bill looked at him with interest, his head tilted to the side as he encouraged the boy to eat the strange looking food. Dipper bit his bottom lip before taking his chances and biting into it. Immediately a sweet tasting liquid flooded over his taste buds and he nearly moaned at the feel of food on his tongue. Though he had to pause to spit out some rather large seeds, but it didn’t stop him from putting the rest of the fruit in his mouth. Bill nodded, seemingly pleased before he reached into the open basket and pulled out one of the unfamiliar fruits. This one kind of made Dipper hesitant and unsure if it was even food. The item was a palm-sized fruit that looked as though it had a hair exterior. Dipper watched Bill pull it apart and reveal a white fruit inside of it.

Bill took the fruit out of its shell and held out to Pine Tree, the other looked at it skeptically, and the jungle boy felt slight offence that the other would doubt him. He brought his arm back and held the white fruit to his lips. He made eye contact with Pine Tree and took a bite into the squishy surface. Small droplets of clear juice squirted out and some of it dripped down the side of Bill’s mouth and off of his chin when he pulled it back. He chewed on the sweet and sour fruit before holding it to Pine Tree, urging him to take it.

Dipper gave one last glimpse at it, watching Bill eat the fruit before taking it in his own hand and sitting down beside him. He cringed at the wet, squishy texture it had. It felt like he was holding a peeled grape. He sniffed the fruit, but couldn’t find a scent to it. Letting out a deep breath, he held the unbitten side to his lips and closed his eyes. He took a bite and the taste was _delicious_. His taste buds danced happily as the cool juice of the fruit rushed over them, giving him a taste that was akin to a grape, only sweeter, slightly sourer, and bigger. He opened his eyes and smiled at Bill once he swallowed the piece in his mouth.

“It’s good.” He said, and Bill beamed. Of course it was good! He _did_ get it after all. Dipper chuckled at the satisfied look of his acquaintance and he took another big bite out of the fruit. He hummed happily, eyes closing as his stomach was now calmed with the fresh food in his body. The strength he had lost the day before was returning and he sighed. Then, he paused as another scent fluttered by his nose. He inhaled deeply, having yet to open his eyes. The scent was…warm and slightly smelled of sugar. The scent brought him a memory of home, of when his mother was in one of her baking moods and would stand in the kitchen making different types of sweets and pastries. One in particular was of her pulled out freshly baked bread from the oven, it was a calming memory that brought a bit of nostalgic reminiscence with it. He inhaled another deep breath of air and the soft smell of melted buttered greeted him. His eyes snapped open and he looked towards Bill. The other had opened the second basket. The smell wafting from it was indeed bread that seemed to have been cooked to perfection. His mouth watered at the beautiful deep, golden brown hue of the bread’s crust that shimmered in the light with butter. He dropped the fruit in his hand, scooting himself closer to Bill. The said boy is already two steps ahead of him though and is removing the bread from its hand-crafted container. He tears a good sized piece of it off, revealing the perfectly creamy white inside of it. He hands it to Dipper, his hands shiny from the butter. Dipper tentatively reaches out and takes a hold of the food. It’s still warm and he can’t hold himself back when he lurches forward and eats it with a hungry desperation. The wonderful taste of buttered mixed with a muffled sweet taste sends a rush of satisfaction through him and he can’t help but moan at how _fantastic_ it tastes. He meets Bill’s gaze, no shame marring his face from the embarrassing act. Bill gives him a quirked eyebrow and amused, closed lip smile. He tears another piece off of the loaf and hands it out to the other. Again Dipper takes it, but this time he has a little bit more self-control and he eats it with more dignity and mannerisms this time; taking decent bites and savoring the flavor of it.

“This is good,” He smiles, licking his buttery fingers once he is finished. Bill nods, despite not understanding and he gives the rest of the bread to Dipper, who in turn takes it gratefully. Bill sits back cross legged, watching as the boy he dubs Pine Tree eats it.

A moment of fleeting silence goes by before Dipper suddenly starts to find this odd, “Where did you get this food?” He asks, then, remembering the communication predicament, he gestures to the food and raises his arms and gives a small shrug that signifies his question. Bill tilts his head and merely gives a coy smile, eye twinkling with a hint of secrecy and something else that Dipper can’t quite place, but it is gone before he can even question it as Bill looks away to stare off in the distance. Dipper’s eyes light up and he leans forward on his hands and knees, entering Bill’s bubble space without thought.

“You got this from your village, didn’t you?”

It is more of a statement than a question.

Bill jerks back in surprise, not having expecting the shy boy to be so suddenly brave. He furrows his brows and purses his lips, pushing Dipper back and making him sit back on his haunches and use his hands to support himself from behind so he wouldn’t fall back.

“You did, didn’t you?” Dipper continues with awe, eyes lighting up. Bill swallows, confused at the sudden excitement coming from Pine tree. He watches with confusion as Pine Tree stands and begins walking back and forth, unrecognizable words spewing from his lips.

“You must be part of some weird, unknown culture!” Dipper says, tapping his chin, “That’s gotta be why you can’t understand anything! And why you have all this food! You’re not lost at all, you’ve got a society all to yourself!” He practically shouted, turning abruptly and falling to his knees besides Bill once more, “You gotta take me there!” he said. Then, he points to the food, then at himself and holding his left hand out flat, palm faced upwards as he uses his index and middle finger on his right in a walking motion. Bill’s nose wrinkles for a bit and he looks to the baskets.

Then, he’s standing up. Dipper looks up at him with a hopeful gaze and Bill extends his hand out. Dipper takes it almost immediately and he is helped up. The jungle boy lets go and walks over to get Dipper’s pack and then handing it the boy. Dipper takes it, slinging it over his shoulders.

“Are we going there?” He asks.

His only response his Bill taking a hold of his hand once more and running off deep into the jungle before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took for-ev-er! Lots of stuff was happening!
> 
> I just got back from camping and I'm sorry this was so short!! I promise the chapters will get long again soon enough!
> 
> Also, I wasn't satisfied with this chapter, so I might take it down and give it a better polish!
> 
> Leave a comment or a critique (if ya want!)

**Author's Note:**

> I shouldn't even be writing this! I should be studying, but instead I'm writing what seems like a very bad idea. I don't even know if I'll continue. This is really just a test drive, lol.
> 
> Pls leave a comment or critique (if ya want!)


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